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You are here...   All About Care of Wild Birds   >   Care of Wild Baby Birds - Part 2

Care Of Wild Baby Birds - Part 2...

Before going any further, read Care for Wild Baby Birds - Part 1. This will alert you to what steps to take the moment you find a wild baby bird. There are several options you should consider before even thinking about trying to raise a foundling baby bird yourself (one of which is a legal consideration).

We strongly advise against attempting to care for a wild baby bird yourself. It's an incredibly labor-intensive task requiring feedings every 20 minutes from sunrise to sunset... for several weeks.

It can also place your foundling at a great disadvantage in the wild. It may become irreversibly bonded to humans, and never adapt to finding food naturally, or associate with other birds. It may never find a mate and raise offspring... absolutely normal and essential in nature.

If you are still determined to do this yourself, study these tips...

Tips for caring for wild baby birds...

Keep your foundling warm. (Put a towel over a heating pad on the lowest setting.)

Keep your wild baby bird in a safe, quiet place.

Feed a seed-eater baby bird (like doves and pigeons) the correct food...

  • These birds have a crop where the seed is turned into a soup before it moves to the stomach.
  • It is essential to feed these babies a special formula readily available at pet stores.
  • Just ask for their baby parrot food. In fact, if they have experience feeding baby parrots, ask them to show you how.
  • This is really important to know because a seed-eater baby bird must be fed a special way.
  • Insert an eye dropper into the left side of its throat, aiming it at a slight angle across the tongue toward esophagus located at the very back on the right side of its throat.

  • This MUST be done correctly so the liquid formula by-passes the glottis... an opening about midway on the bird's tongue that leads to its windpipe and lungs.

  • If you're not careful, you can drown your little foundling.

Feeding an Insect-eating baby bird...

  • These babies can be fed solids
  • The food of choice is Pedigree Puppy Chow® soaked in water until spongy and moist.
  • You can also feed it finely chopped fruits, peas, and corn after removing the skin.
  • Mealworms and cricket pieces are delicious (yuk) additions to a wild baby bird's diet. Your local pet store is a good source.
  • Caution... do not use milk. It is not a natural food for birds, and can often result in death for baby birds.

Resources for caring for wild baby birds...

A Foster Mother's Story by Susie Ward... She is obviously a truly caring individual, and has taken the advice of professional wildlife rehabilitators in providing her foundling baby birds. (To find her story on the page, just press Control and F and type in Foster.)

How To Locate A Wildlife Rehabilitator... This is courtesy of the University of Minnesota and is an excellent resource for locating wild bird rehabilitators in all US states. They also have international contacts outside of the US. Visit this website -  http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact.htm.

 

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